When I last changed careers, Wicked was the must-see show on Broadway and for good reasons. I was gifted two tickets to see Wicked for my birthday and the scene where Idina Menzel sang "Defying Gravity" was absolutely spellbinding. The minute I got home from the play I immediately downloaded "Defying Gravity" and the obsession had commenced. My walk to work was roughly nine loops of "Defying Gravity" and, if I stopped for coffee, then it was roughly 12 loops of "Defying Gravity."
Fast forward to the present and, once again, I am changing careers and singing a certain song. At first, I was dreading the 14-hour flight to Tokyo but the movie Sing made for a surprisingly enjoyable experience. Sing has all the makings of a kid-friendly movie, but I have to believe the writers were also thinking about adults when scripting the storyline and selecting which songs to use. The main characters are absolutely lovable and yet they struggle in relatable ways. Their vulnerabilities are brilliantly exposed in the wake of a singing competition and, in the end, each character faces his or her fears and...spoiler alert...triumphs!!! The music that was selected for this movie is fist-pumping, feet-stomping, fun. The takeaway song for me was "Firework" by Katy Perry. So, can you guess which song I am now looping?
When I was in high school I took a sociology course and was introduced to Charles Horton Cooley's concept of the looking-glass self, which asserts that we construct our sense of self based on how we are perceived by others. Talk about an aha moment! I felt and still feel a connection to the concept of the looking-glass self. During my tween and teen years I was relentlessly bullied and there were difficulties at home. On a daily basis, I felt the clash of who I was at heart smacking up against how I was perceived. Writing and dancing helped me move through those turbulent years and, when I moved to college, I kept up writing and dancing but also plastered my dorm walls with inspirational quotes, poems, cards, paintings, songs etc. I had turned my dorm room into a shrine to help me kindle that spark that people repeatedly tried to snuff. Even now I have poems tucked in drawers, pockets and pocketbooks as well as a playlist all set to go for those times I need to disentangle myself from believing that construct of the looking-glass self that occasionally rears her head and tries to convince me that I'm broken.
Not only did I watch Sing going to Tokyo, but I also watched it on the return flight home and have since watched clips of it when I am in need of a little pick-me-up. If you haven't seen the movie, then set aside two hours to do so. It's a wise investment of your time, and I think you'll be quite satisfied with the return on your investment.
